Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado died Tuesday at age 92, according to his family.

Campbell’s daughter, Shanann Campbell, announced that he died of natural causes surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife Linda, two children Shanann and Colin and four grandchildren.

Campbell started out as a Democrat but later switched to the Democratic Party republican party While serving in the U.S. Senate in 1995, he held the seat from 1993 until his retirement due to health reasons in 2005.

Prior to serving in the Senate, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Colorado House of Representatives.

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Former Colorado U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell died Tuesday at the age of 92. (Associated Press)

The first Native American to serve in the U.S. House and Senate, Campbell was known for his passionate advocacy of Native American issues as well as his attire, which included cowboy boots, bolo ties and ponytails.

A member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, he said his ancestor was one of more than 150 Native Americans, mostly women, children and elders, killed by U.S. soldiers on Nov. 29, 1864, while camping under a flag of truce. He helped sponsor legislation to upgrade the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in southern Colorado, where the massacre occurred, to a national park.

Campbell is also a strong supporter of children’s rights, labor organizing and fiscal conservatism.

Campbell was a renowned master jeweler whose designs are on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

“He is a renowned jeweler colorado border. I will never forget his kindness. He will be greatly missed,” Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said on X.

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day Campbell serves.

“He will be missed in Colorado and across the country, and his contributions have left a lasting legacy for our state and nation,” Polis said on the X show.

Former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell died of natural causes surrounded by his family. (Associated Press)

Campbell was born on April 13, 1933, in Auburn, California, and served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

In 1957, he received his bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University. He attended Meiji University in Tokyo from 1960 to 1964, captained the U.S. judo team at the 1964 Olympics and won a gold medal at the Pan American Games.

In addition, he serves as a deputy sheriff in Sacramento County, California, coaches the U.S. National Judo Team, operates his own dojo in Sacramento, and teaches high school classes.

Campbell was also a motorcycle rider and rancher and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

The former congressman has driven the Capitol Christmas tree across the country to Washington, D.C., several times.

“He was truly one of a kind, and my thoughts went out to his family after his passing,” Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said on the X.

After retiring from public service, Campbell founded Ben Nighthorse Consultants, a lobbying firm focused on federal policy, including Native American affairs and natural resources. After leaving Congress, he continued to design and create American Indian jewelry.

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Former Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell was the first Native American to serve in the U.S. House and Senate. (Associated Press)

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Although Campbell switched to the Republican Party in March 1995 after being angered by Democrats’ rejection of a balanced budget amendment in the Senate, he said his principles have never changed.

“It doesn’t change me. I don’t change my voting record. For example, as a Democrat, I had a good voting record on labor issues. As a Republican, I still do. On minority and women’s issues,” he once said.

As a social liberal and fiscal conservative, Campbell is outraged by his party switch democratic leader.

“I was hit extremely hard,” he said shortly after the conversion. “I’m always willing to listen … but I just don’t think you can be all things to all people, no matter what party you belong to.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.